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Posts tagged ‘Akeldamai’

Acts 1:1-5 – A Second Account to Theophilus

In my first record, {1 Luke means his Gospel which ends with words that begin below in Acts, indicating

they could be a single volume. Luke was a Jewish physician and therefore educated. He has been

described in two primary ways: a] “the theologian of joy” for he uses such related words often, occurring

over 40 times in his two books; and, b] “the most accurate historian of ancient times.” His record in Acts

has been examined closely for over a century and a half by trained and scholarly archaeologists. It has

been found to be accurate in every sense.} O Theophilus, {2 See Luke 1:1. His name means “Loved By God” or “Friend of God.”} I wrote concerning everything that Jesus did and taught, from the very beginning,

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until that day when he was received up,{3 Or, taken up, day of his ascension. Such was foretold by Daniel 7:13. The Greek is

After he had suffered [and died], Jesus showed himselfalive to his apostles by many irrefutable proofs, {6 The Greek TEKMERIOS [Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #5039, infallible] is also rendered: positive proofs [KIT], infallible proofs

[KJV], convincing manifestations [MON], sure tokens [RHM], sure proofs [WEY], convincing proofs [NAS], convincing demonstrations [AMP]. Compare notes on John 21:1 and Acts 10:40.} becoming visible to them throughout forty days, {7 Or, manifest, showed, presented, being seen, manifest. This is the only place where the length of the Nazarene’s post-resurrection period with his disciples is mentioned. Pentecost means “Fifty” and occurs that many days after Passover. Thus, there were about ten days between Christ’s ascension and Pentecost. It is during this period that the events of Daniel 7:13, 14 and Revelation chapter 5 take place.} during which he spoke to them about the Kingdom of The God. {8 As other Bible writers, Luke most often uses the designation “The God” [TOU THEOU, TON THEON, HO THEOS].

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Now while eating with them he gave them instructions not to depart from Jerusalem, but “to wait for the promise of the Father that I told you about.

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For John immersed in water, but you [apostles] will be immersed in the holy Pneuma {9 Compare Matthew 3:11 and Mark 1:8.} only days from now.”

Acts 1:6-11 – The Ascension

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So when the apostles had gathered, {10 Some think this in the mountain s near Galilee. [Matthew 28:16] Others, the Mount of Olives. [Acts 1:12]} they asked Jesus, “Master, {11 Luke uses the designation “Master” [KYRIE] more often than any other writer, over 90 times. He uses the designation for both “The God” and Christ. When used of the Nazarene it is always “Master.”} are you restoring the Kingdom to Israel now?” {12 The Kingdom was never to be restored to Israel as Jesus said it would be taken from them. [Matthew 21:43] The apostles ask in error as they do as Matthew 24:3.}

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However, Jesus answered them: “It is not for you [apostles] to know times or seasons {13 Or, KIT: times and appointed times; WMS: times and dates; MOF: periods of time; NAS: times and epochs. Jesus had told his apostles that no one could know the time of his Return. [Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32] The Nazarene warned that any who preached, “the time is at hand,” were not to be followed. [Luke 21:8]} which the Father has fixed within His own authority.

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However, you [apostles] will receive power when the holy Pneuma comes upon you. {14 The word “power” comes from the Greek DYNAMIN. The thrust of the word here means authority. The holy PNEUMA is the mental force of God’s mind that exerts a pressure on the object of His will. See notes on 1 Corinthians 2:16. Compare the results at Acts 4:33 and elsewhere.} Also, you [apostles] will be my witnesses {15 Christian disciples are often called Jesus’ witnesses. [Revelation 17:6]} through Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” {16 There are three divisions here: Judea, Samaria, and the non-Jewish world. The Nazarene told Peter he would give to him the “keys of the kingdom” and in the case of the Jews, the Samaritans, and the Non-Jews, it is Peter who initiates the Gospel with these three groups. [Acts 8:14; 10:24] Daniel 9:25-27 suggests that the “Jews first” would have a seven year period of special grace during which the Gospel was present solely to them. [Matthew 10:6; 15:24] This period covered 29-36 AD, following which the non-Jews were then giving the invitation. Compare notes on Matthew 22:1-14. It is thought by some that many of the apostles departed Jerusalem

before the year 66 and went to distant lands, including England and India. Peter himself writes from Babylon. [1 Peter 5:13}

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Now when Jesus had said these things – just as they were watching – he began to ascend and a cloud took him up [Daniel 7:13] out of their sight. {17 Or, KJV: he was taken up, a cloud received him out of their sight; TCN: caught up; RSV: lifted up. It is the cloud in the sky that finally obscures the Master from the vision of the apostles. It is likely the reference to the cloud is an allusion to Daniel 7:13 which foretold the ascension to heaven of someone “like a son of humankind.”}

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While Jesus was ascending {18 Or, KJV: as he went up; NOR: his departure. This is likely that moment described in Revelation 12:5.} – and the apostles were watching skyward – suddenly two humans in white robes stood beside them. {19 Or, men, males. Angels that materialized are often called “men.” That is, they appeared in a human-like form. Compare Genesis 18:1f. In these cases regarding the resurrection and ascension it is not the word ANTHROPOS which may mean a human in general, but ANDROS, meaning precisely a male. [Luke 24:4] In Mark 16:5 this is a “young man” [NEANISKON].}

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These said to the apostles: “Men of Galilee, {20 It should be noted that the eleven apostles were all from Galilee. This comes up again at Acts 2:7.} why do you standing watching toward the sky? {21 Or, heaven. If the apostles had understood Daniel 7:13 at this moment they would not have lingered watching the skies wondering what was going to happen.} This same Jesus, {22 Or, this Jesus. This is the Risen Master now in a spirit-like body. [1 Corinthians 15:40-50; 1 Peter 3:18] The former, fleshly body sacrificed on the Tree, has been accepted by God and used as a sin-offering. [Compare the notes on Hebrews 13:11, 12.] “This Jesus” is the one who will return at his Parousia. [John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17]} who is departing from you into the sky, {23 Or, heaven. The Hebrew and Greek for “heaven” may be used of the atmosphere or Sky. [Note Genesis 1:8, 20; Revelation 14:6]} will return in the same manner as you watched him ascend into the sky.” {24 How did “this Jesus”

depart? It was visibly, until a cloud caught him from beneath out of the sight of the apostles. If this was like a film rewound backward, “this Jesus” would be seen visibly coming on the clouds, and so Jesus foretold. [Matthew 24:30, 31] In 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Christ appears in the “air.” In Revelation 11:12, 13 the raptured Saints are seen by their enemies as they ascend in clouds. [Note: some apply Zechariah 14:4, 5, and its mention of the Mount of Olives, as a reference to the Return of Christ as Yehowah’s representative.]}

Acts 1:12-14 – The Waiting Apostles

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Now when the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives {25 Whether this means Jesus ascended

from the Mount of Olives, or the apostles had paused there on their trip from Galilee, is a subject for personal choice.} – which is close to Jerusalem (about a Sabbath’s days distance) –

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as they entered the city, they went into a room upstairs {26 Possibly the same place where the Master’s Supper was first observed. Some think this part of the home of John Mark’s mother. [Acts 12:12]} where they were staying. [These included] Peter, John, James, {27 Peter appears about 50 times but vanishes after Acts 15:7. The apostle John is named about a dozen times and then disappears after Acts 12:2. The apostle James is martyred at Acts 12:2. The apostle Andrew is only mentioned here, as are the other apostles. The apostles as a group did not leave Jerusalem when persecution broke out at Acts 8:1. However, after Acts 16:23 they disappear as a group. Indeed, following that it is “James [the disciple] and the elders” who seem in authority. It is possible the apostles dispersed to widespread areas to further the Gospel.} Andrew, Philip, Thomas,

Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

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All of these apostles were continually in devotional prayers {28 Or, KJV: with one accord; GDS: devoting themselves to; BER: engaged constantly and with one mind in prayer. This would be for about a weeklong period during which the apostles were obedient to Jesus and stayed put until they should receive the holy Pneuma.} along with certain women, {29 Only one is named, the mother of Jesus, but it is possible that it would include about a half dozen of those particular women who are mentioned in association with Jesus. [Luke 8:1-4] This would bring the group to about 18, or 22 including the Master’s brothers.} including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his [fleshly] brothers. {30 Jesus had four named brothers who were not his disciples during his lifetime. [Matthew 13:55; John 7:5] It I likely the resurrection of Jesus had a powerful affect on them. [1Corinthians 15:7] One in particular, James, becomes something of a presiding elder within the Church.

[Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Galatians 1:19; 2:9, 12] He also writes the epistle named after him. [James 1:1] This James is mentioned by the 1st Century Jewish historian Josephus, who reports, “[The high priest] convened the judges of the Sanhedrin and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ, and certain others. He accused them of having transgressed the law and delivered them up to be stoned.” [Jewish Antiquities, XX, 200 (ix, 1)]}

Acts 1:15-22 – The Replacement of an Overseer

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Now during those days, Peter rose in the midst of the brothers {31 Still during this period of about a week, there is a conference to select a replacement for the apostle Judas Iscariot. The whole group was “about one hundred and twenty.” It is not likely they met in the previously mentioned upper room but in some other location. During the ministry of Jesus he had appointed twelve apostles and seventy special envoys. This would number 82, perhaps the bulk of those present at the conference. No women are mentioned as being present on this occasion, and judging from the agenda of the meeting, it is unlikely female disciples shared in this decision.} – the crowd was about one hundred and twenty in the same place – and he said:

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“Men, brothers, {32 The Greek here is ANDRES, ADELPHOI, and means “males, brothers.” It indicates Paul is addressing only men. Though sometimes the designation “brothers” may include Christian women, never does ANDRES also include women. Compare Acts 2:29, 37 where a similar address includes only men.} it was necessary for the Scripture to be fulfilled {33 Formerly lacking in understanding of the Scriptures, Peter now shows a new comprehension, likely because of inspiration, for prophetic texts.} that the holy Pneuma foretold through David concerning Judas – who was the one who guided those who arrested Jesus –

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for he had been numbered among us [apostles] and had received a portion of this [apostolic] ministry.”

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(Now this person {34 Luke injects an editorial comment of his own to clarify certain background matters.} had gotten possession of a field from his unrighteous payment – he himself had fallen headfirst and when his belly burst open his

intestines spilled out of him –

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[and this field] became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so the field was called in their own language “Akeldamai,” that is, “Field of Blood.”

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This was so because it had been written in the book of Psalms: “Let his place of dwelling become desolate, and let no one come to live there.” [Psalm 69:25] And again, “Let another receive his office of overseer.” [Psalm 109:8]

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“So it is necessary that from among the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Master Jesus went in and went out among us –

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beginning from John’s baptism until that day when Jesus was received up from us – one of these men must become a witness with us regarding the resurrection.”

Acts 1:23-26 – The Choice of Matthias

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So they put forward two men – Joseph, the one called Barsabbas, and Matthias.

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Then they prayed: “YHWH, {35 Or, Lord. It is possible the Tetragram originally occurred here.} You know the hearts of everyone. Reveal whom You chose of these two

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to take the place of this ministry and apostleship from which Judas abandoned to follow his own course.”

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Then they cast lots regarding the two, {36 The 120 male disciples were equally divided on two qualified men. This could have led to an early division in their midst. The apostolic solution will seem strange to some, but it likely represents the stated principle of Proverbs 16:33, “The lot is thrown into the lap, but every judgment belongs to YHWH.” The Hebrews and Jews were used to the lot for the Urim and Thummim of the Israelites’ high priest wore a pocket in his priestly apron in which there were divine lots. [Compare Exodus 28:30 MOF; Numbers 27:21]} and the lot fell upon Matthias, {37 According to the divine choosing, Matthias became the twelfth apostle, replacing Judas. Likely the Twelve had to be present at the outpouring of the Spirit as the Congregation or Temple was founded. [Ephesians 2:21, 22] Though some think Paul the replacement apostle there is no direct indication of such.} so he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Ministry of the Apostles, a complex multi-figure icon with a full-height image of Jesus Christ, surrounded by sectors with scenes of His disciples’ calling, ministry and martyrdom. Icon from the Yaroslavl Museum Preserve. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Ascension of the Lord – Part 1 (friarmusings.wordpress.com)
Acts tells how Jesus’ disciples received his Holy Spirit and continued his work after he ascended into heaven. Much of Acts is a travelogue, following the Christian missionaries, especially Paul, as they spread God’s word outward from Jerusalem. Similarly, Luke’s Gospel had put a unique stress on Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51 to the end of the book.)
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In the development of the church from a Jewish Christian origin in Jerusalem, with its roots in Jewish religious tradition, to a series of Christian communities among the Gentiles of the Roman empire, Luke perceives the action of God in history laying open the heart of all humanity to the divine message of salvation. His approach to the history of the church is motivated by his theological interests. His history of the apostolic church is the story of a Spirit-guided community and a Spirit-guided spread of the Word of God (Acts 1:8). The travels of Peter and Paul are in reality the travels of the Word of God as it spreads from Jerusalem, the city of destiny for Jesus, to Rome, the capital of the civilized world of Luke’s day.

Names of the Holy Spirit (amenalways3.wordpress.com)
Taken together this list of names reveals an amazing amount of information about the Holy Spirit. The first time He is mentioned in the Bible occurs in Genesis 1:2, and the last time is Revelation 19:10. Thus, the work of the Holy Spirit spans the entire Bible, from creation to the final redemption of God’s people.

This is the Day (cbcirwin.wordpress.com)
In killing God’s Son the religious leaders of Israel fulfilled the predestined plan of God. They were rejecting the very stone that would become the chief cornerstone. When Peter addressed the rulers and elders of Israel, he explained that Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead…He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the very cornerstone. (Acts 4:10,11) Israel’s rejection was prophesied and it opened the door of salvation for the Gentiles. Paul addressed the issue this way, “But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.” (Rom 11:1)

Ebionites and Nazarenes: Tracking the Original Followers of Jesus (repostingforislam.wordpress.com)
According to the book of Acts, which comes late in the 1st century, the followers of Jesus were called, or perhaps called themselves, “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22). The term “Christian” or “Christians” is mentioned twice, but presented as a newly minted designation, probably coming from outsiders, as the movement spread north to Antioch of Syria (Acts 11:26; 26:28). It is surely surprising for many to realize that the term “Christian” only occurs one other time in the entire New Testament, in one of our latest sources (1 Peter 4:16). This is, however, the name that apparently stuck as it shows up in our earliest Roman sources mentioning the movement, namely Suetonius, Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Lucian, and Galen (see texts here.). It is a Greek name, not a Hebrew or Aramaic one, but unfortunately the English term veils what was likely the more original connotation of the term, which would translate roughly as something like “Messianist.”There is, however, a reference in the book of Acts to a Hebrew name for the Jesus movement that might have well been its earliest formal appellation. Paul, on trial before the Roman governer Felix, is referred to as being “the ring leader of the sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5). Whether this term was used by “outsiders” to label the group, or within the movement itself, is difficult to know. Associated with the term “Nazarenes” is a second Hebrew designation, namely Ebionites, that was also apparently used for the earliest mostly-Jewish followers of Jesus.This Ebionite/Nazarene movement was made up of mostly Jewish followers of John the Baptizer and later Jesus, who were concentrated in Palestine and surrounding regions and led by “James the Just” (the oldest brother of Jesus), and flourished between the years 30-80 C.E. Non-Jews were certainly part of the mix but the dominant ethos of the group was an adherence to what Paul calls ioudaizein–to live according to Jewish law (Galatians 2:14). They were zealous for the Torah and continued to observe the mitzvot (commandments) as enlightened by their Rabbi and Teacher. The non-Jews in their midst were apparently expected to follow some version of the Noachide Laws (Acts 15: 28-29). The term Ebionite (from Hebrew ‘Evyonim) means “Poor Ones” and was perhaps related to the teachings of Jesus: “Blessed are you Poor Ones, for yours is the Kingdom of God” based on Isaiah 66:2 and other related texts that address a remnant group of faithful ones. I am convinced that Nazarene comes from the Hebrew word Netzer (drawn from Isaiah 11:1) and means “a Branch”—so the Nazarenes were the “Branchites” or followers of the one they believed to be the Branch–that is the Davidic Messiah. It is often confused with a completely different word, Nazirite or Nazir, that refers to individuals, male or female, not a group, who took on a special vow based on Numbers 6. The two terms can sound alike in English are spelled differently in Hebrew.
> Ebionites & Nazarenes: Tracking the Original Followers of Jesus
Like the group behind the sectarian writings of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the earliest followers of Jesus, apparently, did not use a dominant self-identifying label but preferred a variety of descriptive terms. Paul’s letters are our earliest sources, dating to the 50s CE, and he never “names” his followers or the movement as a whole, but uses phrases like “the believers” or those “in Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:7, 2:10; 1 Corinthians 14:22; Romans 16: 3, 7, 9; 1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Jesus didn’t free anyone from the Torah of Yahweh. True. He freed them from the spurious “Torah sheBeal Peh” of the man-made traditions of Babylon as encoded in the Mishnah, Gemara, Mishneh Torah, Shulchan Aruch, Tanya, Zohar etc. ad nauseum.
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Jesus, Mary and the apostles were all Jews, so where is the anti-Jewish discourse? To the extent that first century Jews rejected the clear evidence that Jesus was the Moshiach (Messiah-Christ of Israel), they bore guilt for His crucifixion. The generations bearing that guilt are long dead, having largely perished in the Roman assaults on Jerusalem in 70 and 135 A.D. Today the guilt for denying the doctrine and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is endemic not to people but to ideology, wherein is counseled rebellion against God; more specifically, in the continuation of the wicked ideology of the Pharisees, in the form of contemporary Orthodox Judaism.

Tongues of Fire and the Fullness of God (fbcpadenok.wordpress.com)
The power promised by Jesus in Acts 1:8 and Luke 24:49 is an extraordinary power.
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This promise that the disciples would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8) and that they would be clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49) was a promise given to sustain the completion of world evangelization, and all the ministry that supports it.

Information, Revelation and Application (pastorkeithhodges.wordpress.com)
The word of God is the foundation for all true preaching. Our goal is never to express an idea or a thought, our goal is to teach and preach the Word of God.
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The word of God is alive, it speaks not only about what was happening but what is happening, this is the revelation of scripture. The quickened word that specifically addresses the issues of our day and the conditions of the hearts of men.

When were the gospels written? (winteryknight.wordpress.com)
the Acts of the Apostles (which post-dates Luke’s gospel) does not mention the destruction of the temple in AD 70, nor the death of Peter or Paul, nor for that matter the persecution of Christian martyrs under Nero in the 60?s or the Great Fire of Rome from which it resulted. If such events had already taken place by the time Luke wrote Acts, one would expect to find a pertaining description. But, instead, Acts leaves us hanging, by ending after Paul has been placed under house-arrest.

In the 15th century, the invention of the Gutenberg press meant that every literate Christian could read the Bible for themselves. This sowed the seeds for the Protestant reformation in which the self-interpreted Bible supplanted the church magisterium as the basic authority for Christian teaching. In the 21st century, the Internet and specifically the blogosphere and […]

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The IBSA or cooperative association of Bible Student congregations worldwide, all united by the common beliefs taught in Brother Russell’s Studies in the Scriptures series